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Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Scene: Sterley-Crouper Advertising Agency; board room; 1961

Creative Director, Don Baker: "Alright, team. We have a meeting tomorrow with Happy Cakes, the nation's top confectionery company, and we need to win them over with the perfect slogan. First and foremost, get June in here to pour me some scotch."

Leggy Olstead: "Don, it's 9am."

Don: "Don't give me any lip, Leggy. Just show me what you have."

Leggy: [clears throat] "Well, Don, I thought it might be good to have a positive look on sweets."

Don: "It's a CAKE company, Leggy, not a cookie factory. And proofread your copy. We don't pay you to make a joke of this business. Did anyone bring any real talent to this meeting, or should we all just close up shop and head down to The Goodtime Gal for a drink?" [yelling into the hall] "June! Bourbon!"

Paul Krambel: "I wrote something, Don, and I think you'll be pleased with my attention to what Happy Cakes leaves out of their product."

Don: "Leggy, have the proofreader look this over. And have June order a case of scotch and a carton of Clydesdales for tomorrow's meeting with Happy Cakes. If you need me, I'll be at the bar."

David L., Jill G., Kristin and Christopher, Amanda J., Laux, Maria, Ed P., and Daphne, I'm going to need a new secretary. And someone to empty this ashtray. And get me a bottle of gin. Better make that two bottles of gin. And some scotch. ... And some vodka. ... I like to drink.

Hubby and I make brandy old-fashioneds each Sunday night and take a drink whenever any Mad Men character does. Needless to say, our drinks don't last long. You hit the nail on the head with your commentary. Great post!

Aw-some job Number 1! And the tone is an excellent juxtaposition to the old ads that Jen linked to yesterday in Epbot. Sexism run rampant(!). I just wonder how much June drinks. What year was Valium invented?

wv: pordsca: "I had to fire her after she pord sca- , scra-, umm, Scotch on me!"

Yes, cake IS awesome. Though I'll have to agree with Jim Gaffigan's sentiments about the advertising bit... "Do you think they worked hard on that song? 'What do y'got so far, Bill?' 'Uhh....Hot Pocket!' 'That's good, that's very good.... You've got a gift, my friend.'"

Was it just coincidence that you chose "Happy Cake"? There was an episode of Sealab 2021 that included a parody of Easy Bake Ovens with the sloganWhen you want something yummy,Put a Happy Cake™ in your tummy.

That last one is a Costco cake, isn't it. I've seen that rainbow many times at my church's monthly birthday celebration (as in we celebrate people's birthdays.... not that we celebrate the church's birthday every month). >_>

I have three degrees in English (BA Hons, MFA, PhD). I like laughing sometimes at unintended meanings happening because of misspellings. But I studied Anglo Saxon and I've looked closely at pidgins, creoles, and colloquialisms. I know how fluid the English language has been and can still be. I'm also aware of how beautiful this fluidity can be in some novels, poetry, etc.

I get a little uncomfortable with finger waggling over spellings at times. Dictionary spellings and definitions come AFTER usage, not the other way around, except when you have cunning dictionarians who try to improve the language.

This site pokes a lot of fun at misspellings. I would like to point out that "alright" is considered a misspelling. Though it has been seen in print as "alright" since 1893 and will eventually make it into the dictionary.

Lol I don't watch Mad Men but this made me want to! I agree with that last cake.. it is awesome indeed if they could spell. Ah well could be worse they could have had naked ladies giving birth.. wait that was last post *hides* I am still recovering lol.

The word "alright" is in every dictionary today including Merriam-Webster. It is also recognized by every spell check that I know of. It has become our goal at CW to bring the word to the masses and out from under the scornful thumbs of English Teachers everywhere.

I will never understand why, when defending our unbelievably wonky English language, people choose to pick on such an adorably harmless contraction.

My favorite English joke:

English doesn't borrow from other languages. English follows other languages down dark alleys, knocks them over, and goes through their pockets for loose grammar.

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